The Role of Energy Equity and Income Inequality in Environmental Sustainability

The Role of Energy Equity and Income Inequality in Environmental Sustainability | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Role of Energy Equity and Income Inequality in Environmental Sustainability Pamela E. Ofori, Isaac K. Ofori, Kenneth Annan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4760455/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Progress in energy equity, income equality, and environmental quality are fundamental to sustainable development. However, studies providing evidence-based recommendations concerning the joint effect of energy equity and income inequality on environmental sustainability in Africa are lacking. This study fills this gap by using a panel dataset covering 41 African countries from 2008-2019. Results from the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors and the dynamic system GMM estimators reveal the following: (1) energy equity promotes environmental quality, whereas income inequality hampers it, and (2) income inequality nullifies the favourable environmental gains of energy equity. These findings remain consistent when we use the ecological footprint as an alternative measure of environmental quality. We conclude that addressing income inequality is essential for ensuring that energy equity enhances environmental quality. Policymakers should prioritise energy equity and fairer income distribution initiatives to achieve sustainable development goals. JEL Codes: D310; O13; O55; Q40; Q5; Q53 Development Economics Africa Energy equity Environmental quality Income inequality Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4760455","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":328539183,"identity":"c1178853-6ebd-46ea-965f-90feadceabea","order_by":0,"name":"Pamela E. 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